TheRealRKO Expo 2017

That’s the problem with heroes, really. Their only purpose in life is to thwart others. They make no plans, develop no strategies. They react instead of act. Without villains, heroes would stagnate. Without heroes, villains would be running the world. Heroes have morals. Villains have work ethic.

— Peter David, The Last Avengers Story

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About

For photographer Ryan Orange, it wasn’t sirens who lured him off the straight and narrow — it was L.A. Weekly. And while two months of hustling from Santa Monica to the San Gabriel Valley and back again to shoot 60 of the city’s most fascinating people isn’t as idyllic as sipping a fine cabernet, he rose to the challenge.

Raised by a social worker single mom in West L.A., Orange took his first detour a decade ago when his mother got cancer. Seeking more regular hours to assist with her care, he quit his job in the film industry. But after five years at Internet startups, and with his mother’s cancer in remission, he realized he was miserable. Only photography made his heart sing. “I did it as a creative outlet, but when it started dominating my existence, I figured out that’s what I love the most,” he recalls. Once again, he quit his job — this time to get his MFA in photography. While still working on his MFA LA Weekly gave ryan his first editorial cover shoot. And ever since then Ryan spends most of his time doing editorial and PR related photography